Traditional Spanish Indoor Games

Written by sarah rogers

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Dominos are a popular game in Spain. (Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images)

Soccer and bullfighting are well known as Spain's preferred outdoor sports. However, what many people do not know is that Spaniards also like to play indoor games at local cafes and bars, or sometimes in their own homes. Spanish people of all ages play traditional Spanish games, but mature men in particular gather with their friends to play games.

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Mus

Mus is a card game that uses the 40-card Spanish deck and is known for its system of gestures. The game originated in the Basque Country region of Spain, but today Mus is played throughout the country. The game is played by two teams of two people, each trying to be the first to reach 40 points. Team members can communicate with each other using facial signals, which they can then use to try to bluff the other team. Play develops over a series of hands in which the rules change: high cards may win, low cards may win or hands containing the highest point-value cards may win.

La Oca

La Oca is a Spanish board game that was originally popularised in the 16th century but is now often played by Spanish children or entire families. La Oca is played with a board, play markers and two dice. The board has 63 numbered spaces with drawings on them. Players throw the dice and attempt to advance along the route to the last space, which is known as the Garden. However, depending on the spaces landed on, players may have to go back spaces, lose turns, wait for other players or even go back to Start.

Truc

Truc or Truco, which means "trick" in the Valencian and Spanish languages respectively, is a card game from the Valencian region of Spain. Today Truc is played in Spain as well as South America. Truc uses the 40-card Spanish deck, but 18 of the cards are removed before starting. The game is played by an even number of people who are divided into two teams. Players try to progressively win tricks to earn a whole "cama"; the first team with two "camas" wins. Betting is commonly allowed within the game.

Dominoes

While the game of dominoes is not of Spanish origin, it has been popular in Spain since the 19th century. The game is played with rectangular-shaped tiles that have varying numbers of dots on each of two sections. Play is started by placing a tile on the table. Players take turns adding tiles to form a chain, joining halves of like-numbered tiles to other halves of like-numbered tiles. Players who cannot play a tile must draw one from the pile. At the end of each turn the number of dots on the unjoined tile ends are counted up. Whoever earns the most points at the end of the game wins.